Thursday, 2 April 2009

A trip to Hobart (and return)

We finally got to Hobart! We have been trying to find time for weeks and once the barley and, baling were over, our moment came. We had a load of furniture, boxes and butterflies to deliver so we had a laden X Trail. We ended up travelling down through Cressy and on to Ross - the first time we had ever taken the Isis/Auburn road. It's quite an experience but much more pleasant than the Midlands Highway.


We delivered our goods and ended up buying a little picture by Keith Climpson from the Salamanca Collection. We stayed at Renee's overnight and walked up to Salt at Moonah for a fantastic fishy meal.
The starlings were gathering in Gormanston road!

For our return trip, we travelled through Bothwell and on to the lake country on the old Lake Highway. The countryside is so different that way with its sweeping plains rising up to sub alpine forests and moorland. We stopped at The Steppes for a break and our first look at the famous sculptures.
A circle of standing stones provide support for bronze plaques of wildlife. On the altar stone in the centre a wombat ambles.A path led through the bush to the old settlement of The Steppes, an old complex of cottage and sheds once used as bakery, school and post office and now preserved. We had a lovely prowl before returning to the car to complete our journey home to a pair of ecstatic cats.